Iraq - Petraeus: "it's not hopeless."

(AP) Inspiring words from the new commander in Iraq, "The way ahead will be hard but it is not hopeless." (Nothing fires morale like the new boss saying, "well... it might work.")

(Reuters) "In a letter to U.S. troops in Iraq, Petraeus said "in the end, Iraqis will decide the outcome of this struggle. Our task is to help them gain the time they need to save their country." (Hoo boy, saddle up. Let's take some losses to buy the Iraqis time that they will surely not waste.)

(Reuters) "Three U.S. soldiers were killed and four others wounded in an explosion at a building in Iraq's Diyala province, the U.S. military said on Saturday. (It sounds like a boobytrapped building.)

(WaPo) A very interesting article on the powerless Sunni Deputy Prime Minister who has been effectively cut off from any power within the Shia government.

(LATimes) Only 20% of the "surge" force is in place.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has said he is investigating whether he can speed the pace of the troop buildup. But a senior Pentagon official said this week that it was unlikely that U.S. troops could be sent to Baghdad any faster than planned. The five brigades going to the capital are due to arrive one per month, with the last coming in May.

(AP) "Iraqi commanders are urging the Americans to go after Sunni targets as the first focus of the military push to secure Baghdad, displaying a sectarian tilt that is delaying full implementation of the plan to drive gunmen from the streets, U.S. officers say." (A lot of good underneath detail in this article.)